The Tokugawa Period Throughout the course of history, all civilizations go through different periods that have a profound influence on the culture. In the Japanese culture this time period was the Tokugawa period. The Tokugawa period began about 1600, shortly after the feudal periods of Heian, Kamakura, and Ashikaga (Beasly 25). After the death of Hideyoshi,Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated the Hideyori Loyalists and other western rivals at the battle of Sekigahara, gaining unlimited power over Japan. He was appointed Shogun by the emperor and established his government in Edo. The Tokugawa shoguns